Leaving no stones unturned, Jeron Teng took the bull by the horns and collected his second triple-double in Flying V Thunder’s 97-59 domination of Zark’s Jawbreakers, Tuesday afternoon at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Already secured of the top spot in the eliminations and a semifinals berth, the Thunder showed no mercy to the also-ran Jawbreakers, with the former La Salle star doing the heavy lifting as he tallied 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in the blowout.
Teng joined Phoenix’s Mike Tolomia in the 2016 Aspirants’ Cup as the only players to record a triple-double twice in one conference.
Still, the 23-year-old swingman attributed the amazing statline to his teammates, saying, “I have to give credit to my teammates kasi kahit anong ganda ng pasa ko, kung hindi naman nila masu-shoot, imposible na makapag triple-double ako. But I think we’re a talented team and anyone can score in our team. Anyone can have a breakout game and is capable of scoring.”
Thomas Torres added 14 markers, five assists, and four boards, while Oda Tampus got 14 points, four dimes, and two rebounds in the Flying V win.
Though it was already a non-bearing game for the Thunder, coach Eric Altamirano saw the duel as a chance for his side to improve going to the playoffs.
“We just wanted to do our best in this time so we don’t lose our sharpness going into the playoffs,” he said.
Flying V was on target from the get-go, starting the game on a 21-5 salvo before extending the lead to as high as 43, 91-48 late.
The Thunder have a chance to only be the fourth team complete an eliminations sweep with a win against Batangas next Tuesday, which will put them on the same conversation with NLEX (2012 and 2014 Foundation Cups) and Cagayan Valley (2015 Aspirants’ Cup).
Mac Cardona topped his crew with 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench as Zark’s Burgers ended their maiden campaign with a 1-9 record.
The Scores:
Flying V 97 – Teng 20, Torres 14, Tampus 14, Banal 11, Dionisio 10, Paredes 6, Salamat 6, Colina 4, Ongteco 4, Webb 2, Thiele 2, Austria 2, Gamboa 2, Cañada 0.
Zark’s 59 – Cardona 20, De Leon 13, Nalos 8, Mangahas 6, Ferrer 6, Cudal 4, Argamino 2, Bautista 0, Sheriff 0, Celiz 0, Cayabyab 0.
Quarterscores: 26-14, 56-29, 77-42, 97-59.
